Furnace for smelting ore



7N0. Bl0,540. Patented Sept. I3, I898.

H. KAEMM'ERLINGH FURNACE FOR SMELTING ORE.

(Application filed Dec. 9, 1897.)

(N0 Model.) 2 $heets-8heet l.

Hdiigzsses v m: NORRIS PEYERS co. PNOTO-LIIHOu WASHINGTON, o. c.

, N0. e|0,54o. Patented Sepi. l3, I898.

H. KAEMMERLING.

FURNACEFOR SMELTING ORE.

' (Application filed. Dec. 9, 1897.)

.(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

THE Nonms PET-ERS c9. PHOTO-LITNOV, WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES HERMAN KAEMMERLING, OF GIRARD, KANSAS.

FURNACE FOR SMELTING ORE.

SPECIFICATION forming bar; of Letters Patent No. 610,540, dated. September 13, 1898.

Application fild December 9,1 97. SerialNo. 661,263. (lflo'model-l To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I,;I-I ERMAN KAEMMER- LING, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Girard, in the county of Crawford and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Furnace for Smelting Ore, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in furnaces for smelting ore especially designed for the reduction of calcined zinc ores, although it may be used forysmeltingother kindsof ore; and the object that I have in view is to effect economy in the consumption of the fuel required to furnish the heat necessary for the operation of the furnace, as well as to economize the labor of attendants to feed the furnace with fuel and charge the ore therein.

The present invention is designed more especially as an improvement in that classflof ore-smelting furnace known to the art asthe, Belgian furnace for the smelting'of zinc ores.

In the present invention the furnace is con-. structed to provide a primary heating-chamber, a combustion-chamber below the same and discharging thereto, a secondary heatin g-chamber communicating with the primary chamber, two independent series of retorts' in said chambers, a tunnel situated in the bottom of the secondary heating-chamber and divided by a transverse bridge-wall into noncommunicating compartments,,a series of damper-controlled openings from the second. ary heating-chamber to the respective com. partments of the divided tunnel, and stacks or uptakes situated at opposite sides of the; furnace and connected with the respective] compartments of the divided tunnel, whereby the waste heat and products of combustion from the;primary heating-chamber are ntilized in the secondary heating-chamber in a manner to consume the smoke andto heat the retorts in said secondary chamberand also whereby the downdraft through the secondary chamber is controlled by the series of dampers; and the invention, consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

- To enable others to understand my invention, I have illustratedthe same in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in ,which' Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional elevation through an'ore-smelting furnace embodying my invention, theplane of the section being indicated by the dotted line 1 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view through the secondary heatingchamber of the furnace, the plane of section being indicated by the dotted line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail horizontal sectional View through the' smoke-arch of the secondary heating-chamber, on the plane indicated by thedotted ;line 3 3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction indicated by thearrow.

' Like numerals of reference denote like and corresponding parts in theseveral figures of the drawings.

The structure of the furnace (indicated in a gene'raliway by the numeral 1 in the drawings) is built up of fire-brick or other suitable material, and the interior of this furnace structure is divided bya division-wall 2, also of. fire-brick, which is built in the structure 1 transversely across the same. This divisionwall extends from the base or floor of the structure to the roof of the furnace, and it provides therein two heating-chambers 3 and 4, preferably of equal cubical capacity. The heating-chamber 3 constitutes the primary chamber of the. furnace, because the smoke and products of combustion from the fire-box or combustionchamber are conducted directl y into said chamber 3, while the chamber 4 constitutes the secondary heating-chamber, as it is not provided with a comb ustion-chamber or fire-box, but on the other handit is operatively connected with the primary heatingchamber to receive the heat, flame, and other products of combustion therefrom and to utilize the waste heat andgases for the purpose of heating the retorts'in the said secondaryheating-chamber. I v The furnace .is constructed .with a single chamber or fire-box, (indicated in a general way at 5 in Figs. 1 and 3,) and it is divided by a transverse division-wall 5. Within this furnace-chamber is an ordinary double grate 6, arranged at the bottomof the division-wall, and said grate may be charged from either end by the usual doors 7, situated at the ends of the furnace, one of the door-openings being indicated in Fig. 1. The fire-box is built with sloping walls at the sides thereof, so that it is quite narrow at the bottom, and the grate only requires two bars on each side of the furnace. The grate-bars are laid lengthwise of the furnace at a suitable distance above the usual ash-pit and for the admission of air to the combustion-chamber below the grate, and this chamber is in all substantial respects similar to ordinary Belgian furnaces.

The primary heating-chamber 3 contains a series of inclined retorts 9, while a like series of inclined retorts 10 are provided in the secondary heating-chamber 4. The retorts in each heating-chamber are arranged in rows one above the other and at suitable distances apart to provide spaces between the retorts for the circulation of the heat and gases through and around the retorts. Each row of retorts is arranged transversely across the heating-chamber to extend from the divisionwall to and through the front wall of the furnace structure 1, and, as is usual in the art, I provide a horizontal ledge 12 to support the rear or inner ends of the retorts of each row or series. The front ends of the retorts of each row extend through a fire-brick wall 13, constituting a part of the furnace structure 1, and they also extend through a metallic face-plate 14. The protruding or extended ends of the retorts receive the condensers 15. Each retort is made of fire-clay or other suitable fire-resisting material, but the detailed construction of the retort, its condenser, and the means for supporting the same within the furnace structure are not material, as they are made of the usual construction known to those skilled in the art.

The secondary heating-chamber 4: of the furnace structure communicates with the primary heating'chamber 3 through a series of passages 16, which are formed in the divisionwall 2, at the upper part thereof, adjacent to the roof of the furnace structure. These transverse passages 16 of the division-wall are spaced at suitable intervals apart, and they are of sufficient size to provide for the free and unobstructed passage of the heat, smoke, and waste gases from the chamber 3 into the chamber 1.

As before indicated, the secondary heatingchamber 3 is not equipped with a fire-box or combustion-chamber; butit receives the heat, smoke, and'waste gases from the primary heating-chamber 3 for the purpose of consuming the smoke in said secondary heatingchamber and of utilizing the waste heat for raising the temperature of the retorts 10 therein sufficiently to smelt the ore contained in said retorts. The lower part of the secondary heating-chamber 1 is equipped with a smoke-arch 17 and with a smoke-tunnel 18. The arch and tunnel extend transversely across the secondary heating-chamber from one side wall to the other of the furnace structure, thus taking in the entire width of the secondary heatingchamber, and the smoke-arch 17 is situated above the smoketunnel 18 for the purpose of receiving the waste heat from the secondary heating-chamber before it passes into the smoke-tunnel, which is in direct communication with the uptakes or stacks 24 of the furnace. The smoke-arch lies below the last tier or row of the retorts in the chamber 4:, and it is in direct communication with said chamber. The roof of the smoke-tunnel 18 constitutes the floor of the smoke-arch 17, and through this floor or roof "is formed a series of spaced openings 19, by which communication between the tunnel and the arch is established. On this roof of the smoke-tunnel is fitted a series of slidable dampers 20, one of which is provided for each of the openings 19, leading to the smoke-tunnel, and each damper is equipped with a suitable operating-rod 21. Each damper is constructed of fire-brick or other suitable fire-resisting material designed to withstand the intense heat of the furnace, and the operating-rod 21 for said damper is attached to the same in a suitable way, said operating-rod extending through an aperture in one of the furnace-walls to be readily accessible from the exterior and to furnish the means for adjusting a damper as may be required.

The smoke-tunnel 18 is divided by a transverse division-wall 22, arranged substantially across the central line of the channel and adapted to direct the escaping heat and gases in opposite directions toward the sides of the furnace.

The stacks or uptakes 2 1 are preferably situated at about the middle of the furnace structure, and to establish communication between the smoke-tunnel 18 and said uptakes 24 I provide the longitudinal exterior smoke-tunnels 23, situated on opposite sides of the furnace structure, each exterior smoketunnel having communication by a port or neck 25 with the transverse smoke-tunnel 18 inside of the secondary heating-chamber, while a port or opening 26 connects the longitudinal exterior smoke-tunnel 23 with its proper stack or uptake.

In the operation of my furnace the calcined zinc ore with the proper quantity of coke is charged in the retorts 9 10 of the primary and secondary heating-chambers. The smoke, flame, and gases from the single combustionchamber or fire-box 5 are conducted directly into the primary heating-chamber and circulate around the series of retorts 9 therein. The heat and other products of combustion ascend through the primary heating-chamber 3 and find their exit through the ports 16 in the upper part of the division-wall 2. The exitopenings for the heat and products of combustion admitted to the secondary heatingchamber are situated at the bottom of said secondary heating-chamber, and. thus the downdraft is obtained through the secondary heating-chamber, the heat and products of combustion circulating around the series of re torts in said chamber 4. As the heat, smoke, flame, and waste gases pass from the chamber 3 through the ports or openings 16 the smoke and waste gases are consumed in the secondary heating-chamber 4 to generate a sufficient quantity of heat therein for heating the series of retorts 10. As the heat and gases pass through the secondary heatingchamber 4 they circulate around the series of retorts 10 and pass into the smoke-arch 17, through the openings 19, thence into the tunnels 18 23, and finally find their exit through the stacks or uptakes 24.

By adjusting the dampers 20 the. draft through the secondary heating-chamber may be regulated as required to checkthe progress of the heat and products of combustion through said chamber 4, and in this connection I desire to state that the dampers 20 may be operated independently of each other, as

shown, or the entire series of dampers may be adjusted simultaneously by the provision of suitable means to secure uniform adjustment of all the dampers.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the furnace is comparatively simple in construction to utilize the heat from a single fire-box in heating the retorts in both chambers, thus eifecting economy in the consumption of fuel necessary to maintain the fire for the proper operation of the furnace. The furnace does not require as many attendants as ordinary furnaces, and economy is also efiected in the service and operation of the furnace.

I am aware that slight changes in the form and proportion of parts may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages of the invention, and I therefore reserve the right to make all such changes and modifications as properly fall within the scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In an ore-smelting furnace, the combination with a primary heating-chamber and a single combustion-chamber, of a secondary heating-chamber communicating with said primary chamber, two series of retorts in said chambers, a divided tunnel situated in the bottom of the secondary heating-chamber and having a series of damper-controlled openings which establish communication between said tunnel and the secondary chamber, and stacks 5 5 or uptakes communicating at opposite ends with the respective compartments of the divided tunnel, substantially as described.

2. In an ore-smelting furnace, the combination with a primary heating-chamber and a combustion-chamber discharging thereto, of a secondary heating-chamber communieating with said primary chamber, two independent series of retorts within the said chambers, a tunnel situated in the bottom of the secondary heating-chamber and divided by a transverse bridge-wall into non-communicating compartments, a series of damper-controlled openings from the secondary heatingchamber to the respective compartments 0f rated by a partition-wall from the primary 8o chamber, the transverse ports, 16, in the up per part of the partition-wall and establish ing communication between the secondary and primary chambers, a S1110k$7tl111l181 ar ranged transversely of the furnace at the bottom of the secondary heating-chamber, a partition, 22, erected within said tunnel and dividing the same into non communicating compartments, an arch over said tunnel hav-.

ing aseries of vertical openings, dampers o fitted to said arch to Vary the area of said openings and control the passage of the waste gases from the secondary heating-chamber .to the tunnel, and stacks or uptakes situated at opposite sides of the furnace and connected with the respective compartments of the divided tunnel, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HERMAN KAEMMERLING. Witnesses:

MYRoN A. W001), F. W. STUEOK. 

